Need help Cat 287C

NEED HELP......

I have no idea how to start a new thread on this forum...

I have a CAT 287C skid steer with 1160 hours...:I use mostly for land clearing and bush hogging...

I have a warning light on, its an flashing exclamation point. The manual only says its a "level 2 warning" and has no information on the cause or remedy for this problem.. It only says "change operation or severe damage may occur" what the heck does that mean???

I called the dealer and the mech. said i needed a new hydraulic filter, (didnt work, light is still on)

The machine runs and sounds fine, and has power, but the travel speed is reduced dramatically. It is a 2 speed machine, and even in high, it is very slow... Its like the computer has the drive speed restricted..

Any one have any ideas?? Please copy this to a new thread if anyone has the privilege.

Welcome to the Forums Bosshogg! It takes 3 posts before you can start your own thread, it's to keep the spammers out. I moved your post to it's own thread in the skid steer section. We have a wealth of info in our members. Good luck!

new user also

hey guys, new to this whole forums thing trying to figure how to communicate. this is first time it would let me type anything. looks like you guys are a wealth of knowledge. I recently purchased a tree saw and while researching the project i found this forum. thanks, hjetty

I can try to help you but you have to answer a few questions for me first.

Can you tell me if the machine has any logged codes?

A Warning level 2 can be a result of a few things. High hydraulic oil temp (therefore you are instructed to modify your operation to allow the temp to reduce = cool down . This activates at 199 degress F). Is the hydraulic oil level in the indicated range? Is the external cooler free of debris? Do you have acceptable temp decrease across the cooler both internally and externally? Does the cooler have a fan and is it operating properly? Does the coolant temp remain in the proper operating range? Is the coolant level in the proper operating range? Are you currently doing a job that is unique or different than previous tasks creating this issue?

Common sense things to check. Certainly previous advice to change the filter was not bad advice.

A warning level 2 can also be a result of ECM seeing an unexpected motor speed, either RH or LH or both. This will result in a code being logged in the ECM.

They said it was the throttle position sensor. It is located below the cab and is attached to the foot throttle pedal assembly in the floor. I will have to raise the cab and remove the plate that covers the air conditioner fan. Not that hard of a job......

Cost is $114.00 and they have it in stock. So im in luck. I can fix this myself...

Thx guys for the posts.... And BTW, posts above were the first things the mechanic at CAT checked.. So you guys were right on... Good Job..

Tucker: Yes you can use a standard flow mower on a high flo machine but cannot do it the other way. The highflo hoses are different fittings. The 277b will have high flo fittings as well as standard flo.

just had this issue with my cat 287c this week.
started with hydraulic oil leak, we found it coming from one of the test plugs (allen key) on the pump. -lots of oil loss.
at around the same time, or a little before we discovered the leak, the warning light started to go off. we topped the machine off with hydraulic oil, the light went out for a little, then we discovered the leak and tightened down on the plug.
the next day the light went off again consistently, so I took the machine over to cat.
they hooked it to the lab top when I was there, and was showing a code for the right hand drive motor sensor, they tried new sensor. this turned out not to be the issue.
they proceeded to go over their procedures for no less than 10 hours, checking all harnesses, and anything else that would throw the code.
they didn't come up with anything, and could not get the alarm to reset, so they proceeded to re-flash the ECM with the latest software ($150) to stop the warning light.
Now I have to pay a $1900 bill! and I think it may be just for an oil leak that I found on site.??????
any suggestions?